A passenger plane flew from Qatar to Saudi Arabia on Monday, making it the first direct flight between the two Gulf states in over three years. The Qatar Airways jetliner took off from Doha Airport around 1100 GMT, touching down in Riyadh just over an hour later. The resumption of direct flights comes after Saudi Arabia reopened its airspace and border with Qatar last week. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia and its three regional allies severed diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar. The closure of local airspace forced Qatar Airways to fly its aircraft over Iran, while paying significant fees to Tehran in the process.

Source: Egypt Independent January 12, 2021 09:56 UTC